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CHAPTER6
If You
Cannot Beat Them, Join Them!
(Emperor Constantine)
During the first three centuries the devil attacked the Christian Church from without. Stephen
was the first victim (Acts 7:54-60). Later James was put to death (Acts 12: 1-2). Saul of Tarsus
led the attack against believers (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2), until he became a believer himself.
At first the greatest persecutors of the Church were unbelieving Jews (see 1 Thess. 2:14-16 and
Romans 11:28). Later the Romans became the great persecutors. Paul and Peter were both put to
death by the Roman Emperor Nero. As we study the early history of the church we learn that
there were ten different periods of persecution under ten different Roman emperors:
The Ten Persecutions
Emperor
Date (A.D.)
Nero
54-68
Domitian
81-96
Trajan
98-117
Marcus Aurelius
161-180
Septimius Severus
193-211
Maximinus the Thracian
235-238
Decius Trajan
249-251
Valerian
253-260
Lucius Aurelian
270-275
Diocletian
284-305
What did these attacks and persecutions really do to the Church? Was the Church destroyed?
Were all true believers killed? Did believers become an "endangered species"? Was the Church
fatally wounded and about to die?
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Actually the very opposite happened. The more the Church was persecuted and attacked, the
more it grew and prospered. "The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church."
When Stephen died the Church lost a great warrior, but his death led to the conversion of Saul of
Tarsus, and Paul the great apostle accomplished what Stephen never would have been able to do.
The martyrs died, but others were saved and took their places. Christianity not only spread but it
thrived and prospered. The Church of Jesus Christ could not be exterminated. It survived each
and every persecution against it [compare Matthew 16:18--"and the gates of hell (Hades) shall
not prevail against it"]. The Church could not be defeated. It came out of every persecution
victorious and strong.
The devil knew that the Church was surviving and thriving. The Satan-inspired attacks against
the Christian Church were unsuccessful. Even men were beginning to realize this. In the year
311 A. D. Galerius (along with his co-emperors, Constantine and Licinius) signed the Edict of
Toleration, a law which granted toleration to all religions including Christianity. Galerius was
not a fan of the Christians, nor was he a friend. He was a foe of the Christians but he was smart
enough to realize that the past persecutions under the Romans had not accomplished anything.
The more the believers suffered the more they multiplied.
The devil still wanted to destroy the Church, but persecution was not the way to do it. Instead he
came up with a much better plan. Instead of attacking the Church from the outside he would
corrupt the church and destroy it FROM THE INSIDE. The devil's new strategy was very
simple: "IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM!" Don't fight them, just shake hands with
them and JOIN THEIR TEAM! Infiltrate their ranks! Let's see how this strategy worked!
The Great Constantine
Constantine, born in 272 A.D. , became a Roman Emperor. His life is worthy of careful study
because the history of the world and the history of the Christian Church were both greatly
affected by this man.
Constantine was the first Roman emperor to call himself a Christian. Earlier in his life he had
been a worshipper of pagan gods, especially the god of the sun (called Mithra or Apollo). What
was it that caused an idolatrous sun-worshipper to later call himself a Christian?
This amazing event happened in the year 312 A.D. Constantine, along with thousands of
soldiers, was preparing to fight against Maxentius, a man who wanted to be emperor instead of
Constantine. The army of Maxentius was three times as large as Constantine's army. O n the day
before this great battle took place we are told that Constantine offered some kind of a prayer in
which he asked for help and assistance in the coming battle. This would be one of the most
important battles in all of history. If Maxentius had won this battle, the history of our world
would have been quite different.
There is a famous legend or tradition which says that on the day before this great battle
Constantine looked up into the heavens and saw a bright cross right above the sun. Evening was
approaching, and the sun was beginning to set when he saw this amazing sign. The cross had
these words connected to it:
"BY THIS (SIGN) CONQUER"
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Whether or not Constantine really saw this heavenly sign is very doubtful. He must have seen
something because he really seemed to think that the God of the Christians had given him a
message just prior to this battle. Some believe that on the night before the battle he had an
unusual dream in which he saw some of these things.
The next day the two armies met on the field of battle. It was a furious fight but finally the army
of Maxentius was completely defeated. Maxentius tried to flee and escape for his life but he
ended up being drowned in the Tiber River. After this victory Constantine was convinced that he
had been helped by the God of the Christians. From this point on he honored the Christian faith
and did what he could to help and protect and promote the Christians. He became the first
"Christian" emperor (but whether he ever became a true believer in Christ is another question).
The Edict of Milan
Constantine did not waste time in trying to help the Christian cause. In the year 313 A.D.
Constantine (the emperor in the West) and Licinius (the emperor in the East) signed the EDICT
OF MILAN. This important law made Christianity a legal and lawful religion. Christians were
no longer outlaws. Christians were no longer enemies of the government. This law provided for
full religious freedom for all Roman citizens. Every subject of the Roman empire was now free
to choose whatever religion he preferred. He could choose to worship heathen gods or he could
choose to worship the true and living God. This edict put a stop to the horrible persecutions
against believers.
The Empire Becomes "Christianized"
Constantine brought about many changes in the empire. Here are some of the good changes
which he made:
1. Crucifixion was abolished.
2. Infanticide (the killing of unwanted infants) was abolished. Do we have anything like
this in our society today?
3. The practice of slavery was discouraged and many slaves were set free.
4. The gladiatorial games were suppressed (although they were not yet completely
eliminated).
Constantine tried to help the Christian church in many ways. He chose Christian men as his
advisers. He provided many benefits for the clergy (those men who were leaders in the churches,
usually called "bishops"). The clergy did not have to pay taxes and they did not have to serve in
the military. They were paid good salaries. The life of a Pastor used to be a life of HARDSHIP
(see what Paul said to Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3) but Constantine was making it a life of
luxury. It must have been a very popular thing to be a church leader. Many men would have
wanted to apply for such a position with all its benefits. Do you think this is a healthy thing for
the church? Does this system give the church the kind of leaders it needs to have? Do you think
many of these men would be tempted to serve the church for the wrong reasons?
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Constantine also contributed greatly to the building of great church buildings. Magnificent
church buildings were erected in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Constantinople and other places. The
churches got bigger and better, greater and grander. But does a great church building mean that
the church is great? You may have seen some magnificent and impressive church buildings and
cathedrals in some of the cities in our land, but what does God think about these churches and
the people who attend them? Is God impressed by a giant building and beautiful architecture, or
is He more concerned about the hearts of those people who come to these or any other
buildings?
Constantine frequently used the word "Catholic" to describe the Church. The word CATHOLIC
means UNIVERSAL. Constantine wanted all men everywhere to embrace the Christian faith and
he wanted Christians to be united together. He thought that Christianity was the one thing that
could unite his empire and make it great.
Today we are very familiar with the CATHOLIC CHURCH. It is interesting that many of the
Catholic practices and customs and teachings had their beginning around the time of
Constantine.
Sunday
was Constantine who set aside the first day of the week, Sunday, as a sacred day of worship.
He wanted to make this day a day of rest and worship.
It
He was the one who actually gave this day its name. When he made the first day of the week a
holiday he called it "the venerable (sacred) day of the sun." He called it SUNDAY.
We have already mentioned that Constantine was once a "sun worshipper." Even after he
claimed to be a Christian he still seemed to carry these "sun god" ideas with him. For example,
one side of his coins had the letters of the name of Christ and the other side had the figure of the
sun god. Whether he still honored the sun god or whether he just wanted to please those in his
kingdom who worshipped the sun god, we do not know. We do know that the first day of the
week was named after the SUN! As true Christians we should remember that it is really
SONDAY--the day in which we honor the Son of God. It is the LORD'S DAY!
The Seventh Day Adventists and some other groups who do not worship on Sunday tell us that
Constantine was the one who gave us SUNDAY. They believe that SUNDAY WORSHIP
started with Constantine. This is not true. Constantine was the one who officially made this day
a sacred day of worship, but true believers had been worshiping God on the first day of the week
long before the time of Constantine.
Beginning with that first resurrection Sunday,
the Lord Jesus
seemed to "train" His disciples to gather together on the first day of
the week. On the first resurrection Sunday the Lord appeared to the
group
of
disciples,
but
Thomas
missed
this
"Sunday
Evening
Service" (John 20:19-23). According to the Jewish method of time
computation (the inclusive method), the Lord appeared to the
disciples exactly one week later (verse 26-"after eight days"). On this
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Sunday Thomas was in attendance (verses 26-29). It was also on a
Sunday that the Holy Spirit came and the church was born (see Acts
chapter 2 and compare Leviticus 23:15-16). The day of Pentecost
occurred seven weeks after the Lord's resurrection. The disciples
were getting into the habit of gathering together on the first day of
the week in celebration of the day when Christ victoriously arose
from the dead!
See our study,
The Sabbath and The Lord's Day.
The Capital of the Empire is Moved
Constantine also made history by moving the capital of the empire from Rome to a new location.
The new location was Byzantium which was located on the Bosporus (where the Black Sea and
the Mediterranean Sea are connected). This key city actually divides the East from the West and
divides Europe from Asia. He named his city NEW ROME and later it came to be called
Constantinople (named after the emperor himself). Constantine in many ways tried to make
NEW ROME a Christian city. He built a great church there. No gladiatorial shows were allowed,
etc.
Constantine's Baptism
Was Constantine a real Christian? Many doubt that he was. One reason that his faith is suspect is
that he was never baptized until his closing days. At the age of 65 when he finally sensed death
approaching he was finally baptized. He died a few days later. He thought that by being baptized
his sins would be forgiven. Did he have a correct understanding of baptism? [See our study,
Does Water Baptism Save?] What about you? Have you been baptized? What is holding you
back? See our study entitled, Baptism and Communion.
Also there are many who think that Constantine enjoyed the pleasures of this world and he did
not want to let them go until he knew his life was almost gone. Only then would he try to get
right with God. Do people take this attitude today? "I'll enjoy my life and live in sin but
someday I'll get saved. I'll live it up now but someday I'll get right with God." Many who plan
to repent at 11:00 p.m. die at 10:30 p.m.
Constantine was baptized by a man named Eusebius. This man was a false teacher who believed
many of the things that Jehovah's Witnesses believe today. For example, this man believed that
Christ was a CREATURE created by God. What do true Christians believe about Christ (see
John 1:1-3)?
The Church Becomes Corrupted
There is a great danger whenever the church becomes POPULAR! In the days of Constantine it
was no longer a shame to be a Christian; it was an honor. It was to your advantage to become a
Christian. It was the fashionable thing to do. After all, everyone was doing it and the government
put its blessing upon it. [Note: During the years that Jimmy Carter was President-1976 to
1980-it became very fashionable to say that you were BORN AGAIN. Many people started
saying they were born again, including many who did not even understand what the new
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birth really means.]
What was the result of Constantine's new approach to Christianity? Since being a Christian was
the popular thing to do, MANY JOINED THE BANDWAGO N! Thousands of heathen joined
the church! Suddenly it seemed like the whole world was crowding into the church. Many of
these people were Christians in name only. Can a person "name the name of Christ" but not
really be a true Christian (see 2 Timothy 2:19)?
__
_
It has been said that in the year 324 twelve thousand men with women and children in
proportion, were baptized in Rome, and that the emperor had promised to each convert a white
garment and twenty pieces of gold. This report may be somewhat exaggerated, but this is the
kind of thing that was happening. Even today we have many churches who try to use gimmicks
to get people saved: "If you come to Sunday School you will get a free ice cream cone and a
stuffed animal" etc. This type of thing started way back in the days of Constantine!
Thousands of unsaved pagans became baptized and started calling themselves "Christians." Did
water baptism make them true Christians? The church gained in QUANTITY but it lost in
QUALITY. There was a massive growth in numbers but no growth in purity. The church was
becoming more and more worldly and corrupt. The host of hypocrites and pretenders that was
entering the church was multiplying beyond control.
In earlier years the church stayed pure because it cost something to be a Christian. O ften it
meant suffering and persecution. Believers were not popular with the world. But in
Constantine's day it did not cost anything to be a Christian. It was to an advantage to be one!
Today in our country it is somewhat easy to be a Christian. There is little persecution and little
cost. Suppose the government suddenly made a law that every Christian would lose his head. Do
you think you would soon find out who the true Christians really are?
As you can well imagine, many heathen customs and practices crept into the church. The pagan
images and statues were still honored, but they were given "Christian" names such as Peter or
Mary. Artemis (Diana) worship was changed to Mary worship. Also Isis, the Egyptian goddess
was easily transformed into Mary. Worshippers of Isis called her "the Great Virgin" and "Mother
of the God". Some surviving images oflsis holding the child Horus are in a pose very similar to
that of some early Christian Madonnas (showing Mary holding the infant Jesus). Heathen
temples were consecrated and changed into churches. Heathen feasts were given Christian
names. It was just the same oldpaganism or heathenism under a new name! The church had
not conquered the world. THE WORLD HAD CONQUERED THE CHURCH! Paganism had
put on new clothes but it was the same old paganism.
The Need for Separation
What important lesson have we learned from this chapter? Does it pay to compromise? Does it
pay to join hands with the world? Did this help or harm the church? Can believers really be at
peace with the devil and his system? Remember, Satan never compromises. He is out to attack
and destroy the church in any way he can, EVEN BY JOINING IT!
Suppose you have a glass of pure milk and also a small cup filled with dirt. What happens if you
mix the two? Will the milk make the dirt pure or will the dirt make the milk dirty? As soon as
you mix the two you have corrupted and ruined the milk. The only way to have pure milk is to
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keep the two separate.
Suppose you are a clean believer (saved and justified and washed- I Cor. 6:11) and you play
dirty rock music. Will you make the rock music clean or will the music begin to corrupt you?
The same is true for a dirty magazine. If you read the magazine and focus your mind upon it,
will you make the magazine clean or will the magazine corrupt your mind, resulting in impure
thought? Separation is the only answer. "Touch not the unclean thing" (2 Cor. 6: 17).
Can you think of ways in which the church and the world are joining together today? How is this
corrupting and hurting the church? What can be done about it? How is the church compromising
with the world today? How do believers compromise with the world today? Do we follow
heathen practices and customs and then call them by some nice name? Can I join up with the
world and still be a winner with God? What do the following verses tell me about my
relationship with the world?
1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Rom. 12:2. James 1:27
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WAtch your step!
In the days of Constantine, Christianity became accepted and was tolerated. Soon it
became very popular. Remember, true Christianity has never been popular with the
world. Only a very worldly form of Christianity can get along comfortably with
Satan's
world system. Jesus said to His true followers, "If the world hate you, ye know that
it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you" (John 15:18-19).